Heal, 1957

Painted in 1957, Heal is a compact but richly worked abstraction from George Morrison’s New York period. Its red sun, strong horizontal band, and faceted passages of color place it close to the late-1950s paintings now central to Morrison’s reassessment, including the works featured in The Magical City: George Morrison’s New York at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The verso bears Grand Central Art Galleries and Museum of Modern Art Art Lending Services labels, linking the painting to the New York art world in which Morrison was deeply active during the 1950s.